3 NHL Player Prop Best Bets for Thursday 4/17/25

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy hockey on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Utilizing numberFire's NHL projections as a guide, here are some NHL player prop bets that look appealing via the NHL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note that betting lines and numberFire's NHL DFS projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. All advanced statistics are used from MoneyPuck.com and NaturalStatTrick.com. Lineup notes and starting goaltenders come from Daily Faceoff.

Today’s Top NHL Player Prop Picks

New York Islanders vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Kirill Marchenko to Record 3+ Shots (+106)

The Columbus Blue Jackets close out the 2024-25 campaign with an intra-divisional tilt versus the New York Islanders. Columbus has been on a heater of late, and we don’t expect them to cool down on Thursday night.

More balanced production has been integral to the Jackets’ latest successes, and Kirill Marchenko is included in the majority. The Russian winger has returned to his scoring ways, recording points in three of his last four outings. More importantly, that surge in output is grounded in increased production.

Across that four-game sample, Marchenko has totaled 12 shots with multiple attempts on net in each contest. Still, that growth was widely expected. Marchenko starts 70.4% of his shifts in the attacking zone, contributing to his elite production. He ranks first among Blue Jackets forwards in scoring and high-danger chances, resulting in an expected goals-for total of 100.4.

Marchenko can shine again on Thursday night. The Islanders' defensive zone coverage has been lacking, and the Jackets are showing no signs of letting up. There’s value in backing Marchenko to record three or more shots.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres

Matvei Michkov Any Time Goal Scorer (+195)

A coaching change has spurred the Philadelphia Flyers into action. The Flyers are looking to close the campaign on a high note, taking on the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center. Philadelphia can expect production from its usual suspects.

Arguably, no player has meant more to the Flyers than Matvei Michkov. The Russian has been a tremendous asset to Philadelphia all season, ranking at the top end of the spectrum in most analytics categories. His 57.5% expected goals-for rating is second on the team among all players who have played at least 50 games.

As expected, Michkov’s expected goals-for rating reflects his outstanding production. He leads the Flyers’ forwards corps in scoring and high-danger chances, and he starts 72.3% of his shifts in the opposing end.

Still, Michkov’s output doesn’t match his recent production. He has been held scoreless in six straight despite totaling 14 shots on net over that stretch. Naturally, we’re expecting more from him in the regular season finale. We see an edge in backing Michkov as an anytime goal scorer at +195.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres

Rasmus Dahlin to Record 2+ Points (+240)

The Sabres can fight fire with fire in tonight’s clash versus the Flyers. Buffalo’s best offensive performances come at home, and Rasmus Dahlin typically leads the way.

As is usually the case among elite defenseman, Dahlin leads the Sabres in virtually every analytics category. He has been on the ice for 40 more high-danger chances than the next-closest Sabre, also out-pacing his teammates by nearly 130 scoring chances.

Moreover, we have seen Dahlin translate those gaudy production metrics into increased scoring. The Swedish rearguard has multiple points in three of his last four while somehow seeing an increase in his usage. Over that span, Dahlin has played no fewer than 24 minutes, 11 seconds in any one of those contests.

The Sabres may not be playing well as a whole, but Dahlin is ending the season on the best possible foot. We expect him to continue his onslaught in what could easily turn into a track meet at home.

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